


Clumsy

by digitalsoop



Category: Free!
Genre: F/M, but they're not the main point of the story so i'm not going to mark them as characters, haruka and rei and nagisa are also here, i mean if you're looking for that character it's not because you want them as side characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-28
Updated: 2013-10-28
Packaged: 2017-12-30 18:31:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1021989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/digitalsoop/pseuds/digitalsoop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt!Fic</p><p>My take on Makoto and Gou's first kiss. </p><p>Cross posted from Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Clumsy

Makoto is not surprised that Gou has Valentine’s gifts to pass out to the swim club, but he is surprised that he doesn’t get one. There’s an awkward silence as they both look at her empty hands, and before he can tell her it’s okay he hears a low whining sound until Gou is wailing in disbelief and running away from them. “The classroom—I’ll be right back! Don’t go anywhere!”

Rei hesitates, fumbling with the small box of chocolate. “Did she mean all of us?”

Haruka hums, and tries to hand his box over to Makoto, who is trying to politely push it back towards him. “Makoto is the only one without one, so why would the rest of us wait?”

Nagisa’s eyebrows are raised high in concern. “You don’t think someone ate Makoto’s chocolate on accident, do you?”

Haruka pauses and pushes the chocolate into his hands a bit more forcefully, ignoring Makoto’s pleas for him to stop. “It’s fine! If you really don’t want them I’ll eat them later, but don’t let Gou find out you didn’t want it!”

Though it’s with obvious reluctance the chocolate is taken back. The three of them look at their gifts more seriously than is probably necessary. Nagisa nods slowly, putting a hand on his chin. “For being such a great manager, I should get her a really good gift for White Day. I wonder what she likes. Rei, what do you think?”

He adjusts his glasses and turns his head. “How should I know? I’ve never had to worry about it before.”

Makoto smiles, putting his hands in his pockets so he can stop thinking about his empty hands. “Rei, this is your first real Valentine?”

"N-no, Nagisa gave—" he abruptly stops speaking, his hand grabbing at his glasses, trying to hide his face, which is quickly turning pink. He turns his whole body to avoid the blonde’s grin. "We’ll miss the train if we don’t hurry."

They wave goodbye and Haruka and Makoto are alone, waiting for Gou. Every so often they silently push the box of chocolate back and forth. Finally, with a smile, Makoto puts his hands back into his pockets, and Haruka has no choice but to give up. He turns his head with a frown. “I’m going to go home.”

"It hasn’t been that long."

He sighs, blue eyes slowly looking off to the side. Makoto thinks that he isn’t going to answer, but he shrugs. “It’s not my valentine. Anyway, since you like her, you probably want to get her valentine in private.”

"That’s—"

"I’m sorry! I got it! Ah, Haruka…" Gou jogs up as Haruka leaves, panting and holding a box in her hands. "I ran as fast as I could, did I take that long?"

"Ah, it’s not that he got tired of waiting," he laughs, rubbing the back of his neck. He tries to look at her face but he can’t stop glancing down at her hands. The box definitely does not look like a box of chocolates from the store. It definitely looks a lot more like a bento box. "Did you, um…"

Gou looks down at her hands, eyes opening wide as she jumps slightly and holds it out to him. “I made this for you. Please accept it!”

He nods, his throat feeling too tight and too hot for him to say anything. His hands touch hers when he takes the box and they laugh nervously, forgetting how many times their hands have touched before. “Is it okay to open it now?”

Gou pushes her bangs behind her ear. “Um, well. It’s Valentine’s Day, so today is the day you would open it.”

He takes a deep breath, looking up at the trees since he can’t cover his blush any other way. He laughs then bites his lips because he doesn’t want her to think he’s laughing at her, but she giggles. She watches him grip the lid with a smile, pressing her fingertips together in front of her lips. Her excitement buzzes like static as the lid is lifted away and he looks into the box. The surprise catches in his throat.  

Chocolate. Stacks and stacks of chocolate hearts. He is pretty sure she tried to draw a cat face on one of them but smudged half of it with one of her fingers. He forgets he’s holding the lid and it bumps into his chin; he has nothing to hide behind. His heart is racing. Every piece was held gingerly by the same hands he thinks about holding every day.

"Makoto?"

Her fingers aren’t in front of her lips anymore. They’re clasped nervously in front of her skirt and he doesn’t know what to say. Her eyebrows rise when he smiles, slow and a little crooked. She stammers when he leans forward, and down, and down, a hint of the struggles he’ll go through if he has a girlfriend that just reaches his shoulder.

She leans back. His lips touch her nose and when he lifts his head they look at each other, wide eyed and flushed. Her fingers carefully touch her nose. He holds his breath and when she glances away and tries to muffle a laugh he smiles and tries again; he can feel the laughter gather up in his chest when his lips meet their target; soft and warm and turning up into a smile.

She giggles and tries to mumble an apology, but as soon as her lips move her giggles grow louder. He tries his best, but he’s laughing too, and keeps catching the corners of her mouth or her cheek. She kisses his nose, and he closes his eyes and his laughter subsides. He thinks of the summer sun.

Slowly, carefully, he opens one of his eyes. She has a hand pressed against her cheek, her lips curled into a smile. Her eyes glance over his lips and he feels like he should celebrate.

He kisses her again, and doesn’t miss.  

**Author's Note:**

> A lot of people already know, but Valentine's day in Japan is a day for girls to give chocolate to the guys they like. Usually, the person you like will get distinctly different chocolate, whether it's more expensive or home made, and your friends and classmates will get more generic chocolates. 
> 
> White day is when the men are expected to give a gift in return. 
> 
> Gou probably spent a bit more than usual on the chocolate for the swim club, so Rei is worried because instead of just passing out a generic gift in return like he might have done when he was younger, he has to come up with a semi-thoughtful gift for her, on top of one for Nagisa.


End file.
